


chicken noodle soup

by arlathans



Category: Skulduggery Pleasant - Derek Landy
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, F/M, Fluff, Skul cooks and it's actually not terrible, Val feels like she's dying, just pure fluff, smooches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-01
Updated: 2016-03-01
Packaged: 2018-05-24 03:28:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6140136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arlathans/pseuds/arlathans
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“We need to be in Roarhaven in two or so hours”, he continued, seemingly oblivious of Valkyrie’s distress. She sniffled. “I’ll come pick you up in-- are you alright?” She could hear the concern in his voice.</p><p>“I’m sick.”</p><p>“Oh.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	chicken noodle soup

**Author's Note:**

> wrote this as a result of a night of insomnia and reading valduggy fics

She was ill.

It was likely just a flu, nothing more sinister than that. That didn’t stop her from feeling like death, though. She groaned, rolling on her side in her bed.

“Fuck me”, Valkyrie croaked at no one in particular, her throat dry. She never got sick. But here she was, mildly nauseous, with a runny nose and a cough. Her temperature must’ve been through the roof.

Her phone rang. She reached out from underneath her blankets, shivering as the cool air hit her bare arm. Barely managing to hit the answer button, she pressed her ear to the phone.

“Morning, Valkyrie.” Skulduggery’s voice was smooth as usual. She smiled briefly before replying.

“Hey.”

“We need to be in Roarhaven in two or so hours”, he continued, seemingly oblivious of Valkyrie’s distress. She sniffled. “I’ll come pick you up in-- are you alright?” She could hear the concern in his voice.

“I’m sick.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“That’s… unfortunate.”

She allowed herself a smile. “Yeah.”

Rustling from his end.

“Skulduggery?”

“I’ve got to go, Valkyrie. I’ll call you later.”

“But I-”

He ended the call, leaving Valkyrie staring at her phone in disbelief.

 

She must’ve fallen asleep, because she woke up to her phone ringing again. She groggily hit it and mumbled something.

“Valkyrie?” Skulduggery. Naturally. She muttered a vague reply.

“Let me in, Valkyrie. It’s raining out here.”

“Fine”, she mumbled and ended the call, sitting up and wrapping herself in her blanket as best as she could. She didn’t feel much better than earlier.

She opened the door and let his skeleton friend in, peering at his drenched form curiously as she closed the door behind him.

“My god, Valkyrie. You look horrible.”

“Love you too.”

He chuckled then, the sound she knew to be smooth grating in her ears, causing sharp twinges of pain to shoot up in her head. She slowly became aware of the unpleasant ache in her head she seemed to have developed on top of everything else. Brilliant.

“You’re making a puddle on my carpet, Skulduggery.”

He looked at his feet and nodded. “Seems I am.”

Valkyrie let out a vague grumble and made her way to the living room, flopping on the sofa. Skulduggery, who appeared to have abandoned his coat and hat in the hall, followed soon after.

“Are you okay?”

She glared at him. “Do I look like I’m okay?”

“Fair enough. Have you drunk anything?”

She shook her head. “Just woke up.”

He shook his head at that, clicking his tongue - what tongue? - disappointedly.

“Valkyrie, you know you need to drink a lot of water when you’re ill. I told you, remember?” And he departed to the direction of her kitchen, leaving Valkyrie alone to stare at the ceiling.

 

He returned a moment later with a glass of water. Valkyrie didn’t move. After a brief exchange of stares he sighed and knelt beside the sofa, holding her in a slightly elevated position to help her drink. He had rolled his sleeves up. He looked handsome.

“Drink, Valkyrie”, he said. God, she loved that voice. Even though it currently was laced with concern.

He held the glass to her lips and tilted it, and Valkyrie drank hurriedly, as if she’d been in a desert with nothing to drink for a week.

“Good girl”, Skulduggery said, and she choked on the water. He tilted his head in a frown as she coughed.

“Never say that to me again”, Valkyrie wheezed between coughs. “That was  _ horrible _ .”

“Of course.”

He lowered her back down on the sofa and got on his feet, returning to the kitchen.

 

-

 

“What are you doing in there?”

Skulduggery frowned at the frying pan. He knew how to do this. He had it under control.

“A surprise”, he called back, replaced the pan in its rightful place and returned to chopping up the carrots. He was making her spicy chicken noodle soup - or trying to, at least. Surely Valkyrie would appreciate the effort?

“Alright.” She sounded suspicious. He knew she didn’t let him cook for her because he was so bad at it. But she was bed-ridden - well, sofa-ridden - so she would just had to let him do it. Besides, how hard could it be? He had a recipe and everything. This time, he’d succeed.

 

-

 

She’d dozed off again. There were no worrying sounds from the kitchen anymore, and a wonderful, spicy scent was floating around, likely throughout the entire house. Valkyrie sat up and peered around, still groggy. Well, at least her headache was gone.

“Skulduggery?”

He emerged from the kitchen, with soot stains on his skull and a small hole burnt through his shirt. She immediately got a bad feeling.

“Yes?”

“What did you do?”

He tilted his head gently. “Nothing.”

She frowned at him, and he sighed.

“Give me a moment”, he said, turning on his heels to return to the kitchen.

“That’s not an answer!” she called after him, but got no reply.

 

He returned a moment later, carrying a tray. Valkyrie sat up and frowned at him. “What’s this?”

He tilted his head in a smile. “Just a little something to help.”

She turned her gaze to the tray. A tea mug and a bowl of some sort of noodle soup.

“Did you make this?”

“I did indeed”, he declared, obviously proud.

She took the spoon and tried a bit of the soup. It was surprisingly good; hot, spicy, not burnt, and warming.

“Hmmh”, she let out, trying the tea. It wasn’t bad either. In fact, it was amazing. Especially considering his usual cooking results.

“Hmm.”

Skulduggery looked eagerly to her. “So?”

“It’s great. Thanks.” She smiled. He peered at her curiously.

“You mean it?”

“I do, Skulduggery. I do.”

He tilted his head in a smile. “Good. Now, eat up before it gets cold.”

 

She was warm, feeling better, and cuddling with Skulduggery.

He had been amazing. Him successfully cooking for her had been a miracle in itself, but he had also done the dishes and was now the big spoon. Valkyrie was happy.

She twisted around in his arms and smiled at him.

“Thank you.”

He tilted his head in acknowledgment and amusement. “Of course, my dear.”

“No, I mean it. Thank you. You were great.”

“Of course I was great. I’m always great.”

She sighed after allowing herself to smile briefly. “You know what I mean.”

He activated his façade and pressed his lips against her forehead as he held her gently in his arms.

“I know, Valkyrie”, he murmured against her.

She lifted a hand on his face, reaching up with her own to kiss him. He let her, and for a moment they were simply enjoying each others’ lips.

He broke away first and deactivated his façade. She snuggled in closer to him and pressed her forehead against his sternum.

“I love you”, she mumbled sleepily.

“I love you too, Valkyrie”, he said softly as she drifted asleep with a smile on her face.


End file.
